April 12, 2011
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – University of Notre Dame junior linebacker Manti Te’o was named to the 2011 Lott Trophy Watch List, Ronnie Lott and the Pacific IMPACT Foundation announced Tuesday.
Te’o paced the Irish last year with 133 tackles and his nine and a half tackles for loss ranked second on the team. He was named a second-team All-American by SI.com after the season and Te’o was also a semifinalist in 2010 for both the Bednarik Award (top collegiate defender) and Butkus Trophy (top collegiate linebacker).
Off the gridiron, Te’o has excelled in the classroom and in the community. He has earned a 3.487 cumulative grade-point average at Notre Dame and has volunteered dozens of hours at a local youth center. While he was in high school, the former Eagle Scout volunteered his time at Hawaii Special Olympics and with the Head Start preschool program.
In its eighth year, the IMPACT Foundation recognizes student-athletes throughout the nation who have had the biggest IMPACT on their teams both on and off the field. IMPACT is an acronym for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.
The 2011 list of 42 defensive players includes 19 defensive backs, 14 linebackers and nine defensive linemen.
The Lott Trophy winner earns $25,000 for his school and each of the three runners-up earn $5,000 while $1,000 is donated to the school of the Lott IMPACT Player of the Week. A national voter panel, made up of more than 200 former collegiate stars, former college coaches, members of the media and both the Lott IMPACT Board of Directors and Board of Advisors will select the four finalists.
-ND-